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Hotel Room Auctions Help Pages
If you cannot find the answer to your question, plase do contact us via email on info@roomauction.com
Click each topic to read more: TYPICAL QUESTIONS What is Room Auction?
Do I need to leave Credit Card details with you?
How much does it cost?
How long will I wait for a reply?
Can I send my bids to more than one hotel at the time?
Why hotels use RoomAuction.com?
Bid for hotel - Tip I
Bid for hotel - Tip II
Bid for hotel - Tip III
Bid for hotel - Tip IV
How much shall I bid?
What are your contact details?
What Tell-a-friend system is about?
How do I bid for a hotel room?
FOR HOTELIERS How to Add my Hotel?
Can any hotel be added?
Do you charge commission?
How does Money Back Guarantee work?
Why don`t you have thousands of hotels on your site?
Do we need to update our availability?
Can we change our details after sign up?
Where do you advertise?
How many hits do you have?
How much are hotels getting from RoomAuction?
Is there any minimum contract?
Can I see your T&C?
Do we need to guarantee you availability?
Do I have to show my email address?
Do we have to accept all bookings if we do not want them to stay at the rate that they are offering.
I don't want to waste my time with replying on bookings offers which are far to low.
Are we able to set a reserve?
What do we do about NO SHOWS?
What about Overbookings?
What about room allocation?
Do I have to enter low rates to the system?
Do your subscribers really want to book my hotel, or just a cheap hotel?
How will you support our Best Rate Guarantee?
I don't want any discount rates published on the Internet.
I only need to fill my Midweek Rooms.
Can I offer Packages?
What rooms can I offer with my listing?
Can I accept Last Minute Bookings?
Can I promote my Rewards Card?
How do your customers contact my hotel?
What do you offer that other online services don't.
Where are your subscribers located?
What about my ROI ?
What is Room Auction?(back)
It is a database of hotels, where you can find a better deal on accommodation rather than booking direct. Each fully registered hotel has its complete info together with their standard rates. All you need to do is decide how much you are willing to pay for a room in the specific hotel and fill in a bidding form.
In a nutshell, what we are is Hotel Room Auctions.
Do I need to leave Credit Card details with you?(back)
No. There is no need to register or leave credit card details with us. As soon as your enquiry is accepted, the hotel will get in touch with you and they will take all relevant details needed to secure your booking. Our service is free for our guests.
How much does it cost?(back)
Nothing. RoomAuction service is FREE to all hotel guests and potential guests. There are no booking fees, travel agent fees or commission. We earn our monies from hotels who pay us an annual fee for promoting their hotel with us.
How long will I wait for a reply?(back)
Hotel responds within 24hrs. Mind you, most hotels will contact you within couple of hours or even minutes from the form being submitted. Remember to put the maximum price you are prepared to pay, as some hotels may not bother to reply to very low offers. If you really are in a hurry and cannot wait for hotel to reply, simply ring them up (contact numbers are shown in every listing), quote RoomAuction.com and haggle with the hotel over the phone.
Can I send my bids to more than one hotel at the time?(back)
Should you decide to send your enquiry to more than one hotel for the same stay, please make sure you do not send it to more than two hotels. Choose the ones that you feel fit you most.
Why hotels use RoomAuction.com?(back)
It's one big game for each hotelier. Every night they have a number of rooms to be sold. If they don't sell the room for that night, it's gone, lost. So although each hotel would die to get a full rate for each room, they are forced to reduce the price to make sure, that none of the rooms will remain empty overnight. That is where RoomAuction.com comes up with a solution. Although it is always to the discretion of a hotel to accept or decline each bid, it is very probable that the hotel will discount their rooms if they will have nochance of selling them at the full rate.
Bid for hotel - Tip I(back)
Most hotels are full on Saturdays and empty on Sundays, so you have a far bigger chance to get a bargain deal on stays that include Sundays. It will be quite difficult to get a discounted stay on Saturday
Bid for hotel - Tip II(back)
Always put the maximum rate you can afford to pay. If the room rate is i.e. £110, and you will bid £45 there is a chance, that the hotel will not even bother to reply. Very often, the hotels are busy, so you must excuse the delay in replying.
Bid for hotel - Tip III(back)
The shorter the notice the best deal you can get. If hoteliers are sure they will not be able to sell a specific room/night on a higher rate, they will take almost any rate just to get the beds filled.
Bid for hotel - Tip IV(back)
If you will state on the enquiry form that you will dine at the hotel, that may be an additional reason for the hotelier, to accept a lower deal.
How much shall I bid?(back)
Most of the accepted offers are in the region of 25-35% discount from the hotel's standard rates. So try to bid within this range to significantly increase the chance of your rate being accepted. Note that bids under 50% of a rate are usually ignored. This is a one step auction, so please enter the highest price you are ready to pay.
What are your contact details?(back)
RoomAuction.com Ltd
Registered Office:
Mid-Thatch, Boon Street, Eckington, Worcestershire, WR10 3BL
tel. 0207 9938201
fax. 0871 7201794
email: info@roomauction.com
What Tell-a-friend system is about?(back)
If you like the idea for Hotel Room Auctions, you can tell your friends about this website.
You can even WIN a free stay in one of our hotels!
Use our tell a friend form
How do I bid for a hotel room?(back)
First, you need to find a hotel browsing the Room Auction site i.e. by using the hotel search engine on our home page.
Then, fill in a bidding form at the end of each listing.
Finally, await a hotel to reply with their decision.
Usually it takes from 1-48hrs for hotel to reply. For urgent matters please ring the hotel directly quoting Room Auction
How to Add my Hotel?(back)
To add your hotel, you must fill in a simple entry form (click here). Once you do this it will be sent to us for initial approval. You will then get a confirmation email with login details to upload pictures, rates and facilities. Should you wish so, we can do it all for you at no extra charge.
Can any hotel be added?(back)
Yes, however we abide by a golden rule: We will not take more hotels on board then we can satisfactory serve.
Do you charge commission?(back)
No. There is no commission, but just an annual fee that will pay back with first 2 or 3 bookings received through the system. We guarantee that each hotel will receive AT LEAST TWICE as much in value of booking enquiries then the membership fee paid.
How does Money Back Guarantee work?(back)
Because we are certain that hotels we take on board will benefit from our system, we guarantee that each hotel will get at least twice in booking offers than the annual fee paid. If we would not keep to our promise we give you all your money back.
Why don`t you have thousands of hotels on your site?(back)
We abide by a rule, that we never add more hotels to our directory than we can satisfactory serve. This is why we only take as many hotels, as we have high value targeted traffic on our website. At RoomAuction we base on long term relationships with hotels, so we need to make sure that all of them benefit in an equal and honest way.
Do we need to update our availability?(back)
No. Our system is based on individual enquiries, so you reply to each potential directly. That is why we are so flexible, there is no availability updates, need for close-outs, room allocation?
Can we change our details after sign up?(back)
Yes. At all times you have full access to Hotel?s Control Panel, where you can change all details to include: photos, description, room rates, hotel equipment, contact details. This service is provided free of charge and is available to all members.
Where do you advertise?(back)
We advertise in many ways. Most of our traffic comes from Google and it?s partners (MSN, AOL, Ask Jeeves, Multimap and many others). We also widely advertise on eBay by selling rooms for some of our hotels. Apart from online advertisement we also promote RoomAuction in national and local newspapers (i.e. The Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, .net Magazine, Webuser) as well as by printed materials delivered directly to homes of our repeat and potential guests and customers. See more about where to we advertise in the Add your Hotel Section
How many hits do you have?(back)
Currently it's over 1 mln hits per month (Data from October 2006). This number is continuously growing due to new marketing campaigns launched regularly. The source of this traffic are among the others recent editorials in Sunday Times (29th May 2005, May 2006, Aug 2006 and others), Webuser, .net Magazine, Elle as well as an extended Affiliate Programme and 'Free Mug', 'Free Break' and other promotions.
How much are hotels getting from RoomAuction?(back)
Currently on average each hotel is getting just over £7200 worth of booking offers each year. Considering that about 65% of enquiries are converted to confirmed bookings, that gives an annual estimate of £4680 in accommodation revenue. This equals to 5.3% commission from each booking. We obviously do not charge this commission, but this is simple calculation of how much your annual fee is worth with us. (Figures updated: August 2006)
Is there any minimum contract?(back)
No. After the initial period that you have paid for, the hotel is free to decide if they would like to continue selling their rooms with us. No hassle, but we are sure you would like to stay for anouther year. We put a lot of the annual fee in direct advertising of your hotel, to bring you good value for money and maintain a long term relationship. To maintain the listing visible at all times we do renew automatically unless cancelled.
Can I see your T&C?(back)
Yes, you can download a PDF version of our Terms and Conditions of trading here
Do we need to guarantee you availability?(back)
You never have to guarantee availability with Room Auction. That said, we have ways to direct traffic to the Dates and Days of the week you want to fill.
Do I have to show my email address?(back)
Your email address is not shown. We do show your Website, Telephone and Fax number, but never your email address. We also include detailed information about your hotel including 5 pictures
Do we have to accept all bookings if we do not want them to stay at the rate that they are offering.(back)
You never have to accept any bids But don't just refuse.
1.If it's because you are full, If you have a sister property you can offer that hotel.
2.If you don't like the rate, PLEASE don't just refuse. Always (if you have room) offer what you want for the room.
For example. If a customers offer is for a Standard Room at £109. You could reply that the Standard rooms available are £129 or your Premium Rooms are £149
I don't want to waste my time with replying on bookings offers which are far to low.(back)
Controls are in place to stop any unacceptable bids.
Are we able to set a reserve?(back)
Yes, You choose the discount rate, that way no bids under that rate will be sent to you. We can also use our "Bidding Tips" section to tell subscribers what kind of discounts are accepted.
What do we do about NO SHOWS?(back)
Since you control the booking, the contact details and if any deposit is required. You don't need to worry about No-Shows
What about Overbookings?(back)
You control the bookings, so no over bookings and no angry customers.
What about room allocation?(back)
Not required with Room Auction, no need to hold rooms that could be left unsold.
Do I have to enter low rates to the system?(back)
No low rates. Only your Rack Rates are shown and you never have to accept any bids at rates that are too low. And with Room Auction you can up-sell to a better room or suite.
Do your subscribers really want to book my hotel, or just a cheap hotel?(back)
We don't hide any details about your hotel. Are subscribers are not just looking for a Post Code. You receive requests from customers that have learned all about your property from your detailed listing, before choosing your hotel.
How will you support our Best Rate Guarantee? (back)
Because we send the customers directly to you, they get the best rate from you and you get ownership of the customer.
I don't want any discount rates published on the Internet.(back)
Bidding is off your Rack Rate. You can fill your excess inventory at rates you wouldn't want your regulars to know about. No Brand or Rate erosion.Â
I only need to fill my Midweek Rooms.(back)
You can direct customers to the days you want to fill. Just Midweek or Weekend. No limits or restrictions with Room Auction.
Can I offer Packages?(back)
You can and should offer packages. Good value for the customer and stops direct price comparison with your competition. I have noticed that our subscribers have requested something special for their Spouse's Birthday or their Anniversary. With Room Auction you can test different offers at no extra cost. A simple package could include Dinner, or a Welcome Drink or a 2 night stay.
What rooms can I offer with my listing?(back)
Each Hotel has room for 3 room types, so you can offer a Standard Double/Twin, a Premier or Deluxe Double/Twin. A Suite or any Package. Only Room Auction offers you these options.
Can I accept Last Minute Bookings?(back)
Yes, since you are in direct contact with your customer you can even accept bookings for the same day. We can also show your customers that the best discounts are offered to bookings within 30, 14 or 7 days, your choice.
Can I promote my Rewards Card?(back)
Yes, You can suggest a better discount for Card holders. We can even put a link on your listing for our subscribers to go and sign up before they bid. Increasing your database is priceless. Only with Room Auction.
How do your customers contact my hotel?(back)
The choice is yours:
1.) form is sent to individual hotels via email, where any staff member can respond to the room requests. You can have the emails sent to where ever you want and can change your email address anytime. Room Auction emails are easy to spot via the subject box. We can also note on your listing that you prefer telephone calls for last minute room requests.
2.) We have companies that send all their hotels room requests to one central reservations office. Your reservations staff can accept or up-sell your requests. This works very well when you have are part of a chain.
What do you offer that other online services don't.(back)
We don't charge your customers any fees.
We don't demand your customers credit card details.* This alone opens the door to all those people that are interested in your hotel, but do not feel SAFE giving their credit cards details online to a third party, but will give that information directly to the hotel.
Room Auction lets your customers request any room type you offer. Your customers can request a deluxe room or a triple room. You get higher room requests and no angry customers that wanted a deluxe room, but a computer could only offer a standard room.
Other online sites are severely restricted to 1 or 2 guests and then tell the guests to call the hotel toll free for any other requests, wasting your staffs time.
We reinforce that message that your customers will get the best rate directly from you.
One email does it all, no repeated calls on your toll free phone line asking questions that other online companies can't or won't answer.
Check some 3rd party FAQ's and you'll see that every response to a question about a hotel booking, tells their customer to contact the hotel directly. This method can't save you time. You may be surprised how many calls you get from just one customer because the third party company can't help them.
They can take the money, charge your guests fees, but can't help. They all promote the best rate guarantee so they own the customers, not you.
Room Auction is your Virtual Sales Rep. Which means, like any good sale rep we find customers and send them to your hotel.
Risk Free with our 365 day 100% money back guarantee.
Internet with a Human touch = Higher Room Rates.
Where are your subscribers located?(back)
Room Auction has a database with thousands of UK, European and North American double opt-in subscribers.- Which means you get access to individual customers locally and overseas at no extra cost through regular newsletters about our member hotels sent from RoomAuction.
What about my ROI ?(back)
Your Return on Investment is completely tractable and guaranteed. You can login anytime to view in detail all the room requests you've received.
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